Fig, Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Tartine

By Anne Leonard

Fig, prosciutto and goat cheese tartines

Anne Leonard

The patients at my husband's workplace are beyond generous. It seems like almost every day he comes home with a “surprise” for me. This has come in the form of homemade salsa, a bag of a variety of tomatoes fresh picked from their own gardens or even green olives from his boss’ trip to Greece. On this particular day, he came home with a container filled to the brim with freshly picked figs. Aside from eating them with my yogurt or simply on their own wishing its figgy, plump goodness would never end, it was time to exercise my creativity. I decided to incorporate them into our dinner in the form of a tartine, or a French open-faced sandwich. While I served the tartines as a light dinner, they can also act as a lovely appetizer.

Wanting to accentuate the fig’s lush, pillowy texture, I knew I needed some tougher ingredients. This tartine showcases a range of flavor dimensions for your taste buds to wander. The crunchy sourdough bread is blanketed by a creamy spread of goat cheese, honey and walnuts. The goat cheese melts, fusing with the honey and revealing the walnuts for another depth of crunch. A seedy juiciness remains from the figs as it sits atop the salty prosciutto over sourdough bread. When baked, the prosciutto achieves a slight crispness at the edges while also adding that pinch of salt. Honey drizzled over top seals in this sweet sandwich. The plush pink of the figs, sprinkled with the bright yellow seeds brighten up this tartine. Aside from pleasing your taste buds, it's truly a dazzler.

Yield: 4 tartines

Ingredients

1/2 cup goat cheese

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

1 tbsp honey + more for drizzling

2 slices sourdough bread, halved

Olive oil for bread

4 slices prosciutto

6 figs, halved

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix goat cheese, 1 tbsp honey and walnuts in a small bowl. Set aside. Drizzle the four slices of bread with olive oil on each side.

On one slice of bread, spread on an even layer of the cheese mixture. Layer on one slice of prosciutto. Place three fig halves on top, then drizzle with honey. Repeat until each slice of bread is covered, then place on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until bread is golden brown and prosciutto edges curl. Serve immediately